Target responds to 'racist' children's Halloween costume as news anchor blames Trump

A Halloween costume has landed Target in hot water after shoppers pointed out its uncomfortable echoes of one of America's darkest periods of racial history.

The retailer confirmed on Monday, Aug. 24, that it had pulled the 'Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume' from sale after users online drew comparisons between the outfit and 19th-century minstrel shows, in which white performers wore blackface and tattered clothing to mock enslaved Africans.

The costume, modeled by a Black child, featured an exaggerated grinning mouthpiece, oversized orange-patterned fabric and a small black hat.

Target posted the following to X after the backlash: “An apology from us: We pulled an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment.

"It is no longer for sale. As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry."

Why did people say the Target costume was racist?

Social media users were quick to draw a line between the costume's design and imagery associated with Jim Crow-era caricatures.

One person wrote: “That grin hit like a historical gut-punch, how did Target even greenlight this for kids?!”

Another posted: “I GASPED. HOW did that get past EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the process???”

Not every commenter agreed the resemblance was clear-cut.

One international user wrote: “As someone from outside the US, I don't see any resemblance between the costume and that Jim Crow drawing. Is there some historic racist reference I'm missing?”

Someone else offered a different read entirely, describing it as “part harlequin, part Protestant Irish, and part creeper grin.”

Target went on to acknowledge the impact the costume had on its customer base, adding: “We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners. Removing the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won't happen again.”

Minneapolis business leader Sheletta Brundidge told Reuters she believes the misstep can be traced back to Target scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion programs in 2025.

“You rolled back diversity, so who's in the room, now, to say ‘hey, this is wrong?’” she said.

Civil rights attorney and CAIR national deputy director Edward Ahmed Mitchell made a similar argument during an appearance on CNN's First of All, telling host Victor Blackwell the costume was a direct “result” of Target dropping its DEI programs under pressure from President Donald Trump's administration. “The fact that no one in Target saw that image and said this is a bad idea, that it got all the way to being sold, indicates a failure within Target,” he said. “And that's why there's value in having diversity in corporations, there's value in having these programs, to make sure you're understanding the sensitivities. Because that – that is unacceptable.”

Mitchell went further, arguing the controversy shouldn't have needed a diversity conversation to be avoided in the first place.

“It's unfortunate that you even need diversity to catch this. White people have been taught, and we've had a discourse about what's racist and what's inappropriate for a long, long, long time,” he said.

“They should know that this is inappropriate.”

The costume backlash is just the latest headache for Target, which is also facing pressure over its response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

Last week, the American Federation of Teachers, a national teachers’ union, called for a boycott of the retailer heading into the back-to-school season, citing what it called Target’s failure to condemn ICE operations across the country.

AFT President Randi Weingarten didn't mince words on the matter: “Seven months since the murders of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, masked ICE agents are still in our streets, our schools and our communities, terrorizing families in the name of Donald Trump's illegal and immoral assault on immigrants striving for their American Dream.

"That's why we're urging our members to avoid Target and patronize more ethical shopping alternatives this back-to-school season.”